In a conventional electrical connector, a housing includes a front end, a rear end and a plurality of terminal receiving passages extending between the front and rear ends. Terminals, such as female contact terminals, are inserted into the rear ends of the passages. Each passage includes a latch that deflects outwardly in the passage to allow the terminal to be inserted into the passage. Once the terminal is fully inserted into the passage, the latch flexes inwardly to lock the terminal into the passage.
Known electrical connectors include terminal position assurance devices (TPA) that mate with the connector housing for movement between a partially engaged position and a fully engaged position. The TPA presents wedges that extend into the plug housing at locations adjacent to the terminal passages. When the TPA is at its partially engaged position, the wedges are fully withdrawn from the latches so the latches can flex outwardly sufficiently to permit the terminals to be inserted into the passages. When the TPA is moved to its fully engaged position, the wedges slide into positions underlying the latches, so as to bias the latches inwardly in order to retain the terminals in the passages. In order to prevent overflexing of the latches, the housing typically includes overstress features that limit outward deflection of the latches as the terminals are inserted into the housing and/or during removal of the terminals from the housing. Typically, these overstress features are in the form of separate walls or members formed on the housing at locations adjacent to the latches.
The quest to make electronic devices ever more compact has sparked a related desire to produce compact electrical connectors. Space is at a premium on these electrical connectors. Thus the ability to shrink, eliminate, or increase the efficiency of any component is highly desirable. However, forming the overstress features integrally with the housing increases the overall size of the connector.
A need remains for improved connector assemblies that overcome the problems discussed above. The preferred embodiments of the present invention described below address the above discussed needs and other disadvantages of conventional connector devices that will become readily apparent from the following description, drawings and claims.